(1982)
3
Donald Guarisco
This oft-overlooked spy thriller was not a hit for Clint Eastwood but it is one of his most interesting efforts from the early 1980's. Firefox benefits from an intricate script that blends genres and offers unique twists on familiar elements. For example, the story's espionage angle is given an added edge by the fact that Eastwood's character is a pilot sent in on a rushed mission and not a trained spy: as a result, his mistakes and the fear he feels in unfamiliar surroundings enhance the suspense of his mission. Eastwood does well in the director's chair, orchestrating the many suspense sequences in an effective, low-key style that eschews action in favor of carefully-built tension. He also deploys some large-scale visual effects by John Dykstra in an impressive manner during the jet-driven finale. The character of Mitchell Gant stretches Eastwood out of his comfort zone as an actor -- the character's flashback scenes require a level of Method-acting intensity that Eastwood never quite summons up -- but he does a solid job of portraying Gant's quiet fear and paranoia on the mission. His work in this area is aided immensely by excellent support performances from Freddie Jones as a dryly humorous British intelligence agent and Warren Clarke as a stern but brave Russian operative who helps Eastwood behind enemy lines. To sum up, Firefox is a much better film that its reputation suggests and well worth the time for spy movie fans and Eastwood aficionados alike.
Firefox on AllMovie
Firefox (1982)
